Exhibit -“History of Immigration”

“HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: Photos Then & Now”

For centuries, the Granite State has been home to families from other countries for many years.  English, Scots and Irish came in the 1600s and 1700s.  Other Europeans and French-Canadians came in the 1800s to work in the mills, rail yards and logging towns.  By 1920 the number of foreign-born residents peaked, but then declined following restrictive immigration policies.In 2005 New Hampshire was home to about 72,000 foreign-born residents who came from Europe (31%), Asia (27%), Latin America (19%), Canada (16%), or other countries (7%).  Today in Manchester, immigrants are most likely from Latin America, Asia or Africa.  All have come to find new opportunities and better futures for their families and children.

In this photo exhibit, black and white photos from the early 1900s are side-by-side with color photos of today’s immigrants to illustrate the long history of immigration in New Hampshire. The historic photos showed immigrants who came to work mostly in the mills and farms. The B&W were prints are courtesy of the Manchester Historic Association. Color photos of recent immigrants were taken between 2012 and 2014 by Becky Field as part of an ongoing project to document the strength, vitality and diversity among our foreign-born neighbors.  For more information on that project, go to www.FieldWorkPhotos.com.

Polish Bride and Groom, Manchester, 1918

   Burundi Bride, Manchester, 2014